Hear Kaam Bhaari’s Twisted Love Song ‘Mohabbat’

As far as songs about love go – in the world of hip-hop and specifically desi hip-hop – it’s never had much soul. Mumbai rapper Kaam Bhaari’s latest release “Mohabbat,” however, changes things for the moment.

Released via actor Ranveer Singh and filmmaker Navzar Eranee’s label IncInk Records, the song and its video show the rapper in a somewhat jaded state, with a seemingly endless flow of words. The 20-year-old says, “It’s quite a conscious song and I wrote it with a bit of deepness. It’s a rap song, but it’s got a mixture of a lot more than just hip-hop. When I wrote it, I had qawwalis in mind.”

“Mohabbat” was written three years ago and also used as a reference point for the song “Kab Se Kab Tak,” his contribution to the Singh-starring Bollywood hip-hop movie Gully Boy. His latest single was released as a demo in 2016 too, but now received a production revamp courtesy of IncInk signees RĀKHIS (Shikar Yuvraj Manchanda) and Nuka (Anushka Manchanda). Kaam Bhaari says about the production process, “Anushka and Shikhar used their creativity at its best with this song. I didn’t direct them in any sense.”

The song was first performed live at a gig in Bengaluru, but Kaam Bhaari featured on an episode of hip-hop reality show MTV Hustle to first rap the song to a studio audience. “I’ll be performing at NH7 Weekender [in Pune] as well,” he adds. Since Gully Boy and being signed to IncInk – and being the first to have a release out on the label with “Zeher” – Kaam Bhaari has been juggling commercial projects as well as his own work.

In an endearing manner, he notes how he likes doing ad jingles and the like. He says, “When I rap for advertising work, it feels almost like I’m wearing formal shoes, a formal shirt and got my bag with me. Like a proper office guy. They’re different things, of course, but I like them both. Everything I do in both, I try to bring in a meaning and life to it.”

Watch the video for “Mohabbat” below.